Tallahassee, Florida - Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain is comparing Mitt Romney to the late President Ronald Reagan.

McCain campaigned for Romney at an American Legion Post packed with veterans in Tallahassee on Wednesday. McCain said Romney reminds him of Ronald Reagan because he believes in the greatness of America.

McCain said jobs and the economy are clearly the main issues in the campaign and he accused President Obama of failing to lead on those issues.

McCain also attacked President Obama on foreign policy. He said the Obama administration was either willfully ignorant or abysmally incompetent in the case of the embassy attack in Libya because there were warning signs about security there before the attack.

McCain told the crowd he was worried about the country when he lost to President Obama in 2008. But now McCain says he is really worried about the future of the country if the president wins re-election.

"I was not nearly as worried as I am today, my friends. I was not nearly. This president, who started out by going around the world and apologizing for America, does not understand the importance and the historic role of the United States of America in the world and this is a dangerous world."

He called on veterans to spend a half hour each day over the next month working in support of Romney's campaign because, he said, the path to the White House for Romney almost surely must include Florida.

"We must win the state of Florida and where we're going to win the state of Florida is in the Panhandle and with our veterans who care about America and our security."

McCain, who faced off with Barack Obama in presidential debates in 2008, was asked what advice he would offer to Mitt Romney for the debate Wednesday night.

"I think he will articulate his vision for America, jobs and economy and this terrible, failed national security policy by Obama. This latest thing in Libya shows many things, including a fundamental lack of leadership on the part of the president in the world. Nothing is a must win, but obviously we want to see Gov. Romney do well and we believe that he will do well. We cannot underestimate the fact that President Obama is an excellent debater, gives excellent speeches. So it's going to be a tough fight but I'm confident Mitt will do well."